BUCHAREST, February 8th – The strengths and capabilities of the legal department of the SECI Regional Center for Combating Trans-border Crime (SECI Center) are undergoing a significant enhancement upon the integration of the Secretariat of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe, Security Initiative to Fight Organized Crime (SPOC). The SPOC Secretariat’s original mission was completed at the end of 2007. Starting on 1 January 2008, the SPOC staff and resources have been transferred to the legal department of SECI Center.
“This is an important stage in the SECI Center’s development. In the past few years, the organization has grown and transformed into a bridge for regional cooperation between the EU and non-EU countries; a facilitator and coordinator of numerous joint operations and investigations; and, a repository of valuable information on trends of organized crime and criminal groups. Now, with an enhanced legal department we will be able to provide additional and better assistance to the countries of Southeast Europe”, stated Mitja Močnik, director of the SECI Center.
The integration process includes the transfer of all the SPOC legal documents, previously available on the SPOC Secretariat website, to the SECI Center website (www.secicenter.org).
“We are putting together the experience of all the Southeast European countries, the members of the SECI Center, as well as E.U. and U.S. experience into the field of combating trans-border criminality. The SECI Center website becomes a remarkable legal database resource for regional law enforcement agencies, members of the Parliaments of the member countries, law and police academy students, and for the general public as well. Our enhanced legal department will continually update the database information regarding law enforcement legislation. Furthermore, this integration will give efficient support and guidance to the member countries as they improve their legal frameworks“, affirmed Ibrahim Gül, head of SECI Center’s legal department.
The SECI Regional Center for Combating Transborder Crime, headquartered in Bucharest, Romania, was launched in 2000, and is a unique operational organization in which police and customs liaison officers from 12 member states (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey) work together in direct cooperation, coordinate joint investigations and facilitate information exchange.
Besides the member countries, there are 21 observers, countries and organizations: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Canada, EUBAM, France, Georgia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Slovakia, Ukraine, UNDP Romania, the United Kingdom, UNMIK, and the United States of America.
Italy and the United States maintain permanent representation at the SECI Center, and Interpol and the World Customs Organization are permanent (non-resident) advisors to the SECI Center.
For more information, please visit the SECI Center website: www.secicenter.org.
